Live Bearers And Breeding And Population

[Megalodon]

Im considering getting some live bearers in the future..i really like those mickey mouse platys.  my thing is i hear they breed quite easily. so my question to y'all is, how do you keep the breeding or the population down? what do you do with all this fry? maybe im over estimating their breeding potential. i just know if i see little fry in there one day ill fish them out and put them in a different environment because i cant stand the idea of little baby fish having to fend for themselves in there.

 

[ncguppy830]

just get all males or all females

 

[Lillefishy]

Get all males, if you get females it's likely they'll already be pregnant & can store sperm for a few months so you could end up with a lot of fry

 

[daizeUK]

 maybe im over estimating their breeding potential.

 
No you're not   I underestimated their breeding potential and I now have a big problem on my hands.  Four months later I have about fifty fish.
 
I took some fry back to the shop.  They have a special tank there for unwanted fry which is good.  Unfortunately I can see my fry in there every time I visit, nobody has bought them and they are not getting fed enough, they have been there for weeks and are now half the size of the fry I kept at home.  It's really sad.
 
I've set up a fry tank to help grow them on before I rehome them but there's still too many fry.  Long term I will have to separate my males and females or rehome them.  I'm also planning to get some amano shrimp, I wanted some anyway, but maybe they will help keep the fry population down
 
Your first fry are always special - I got plants especially to give mine the best chance of survival.  Now my tank is a fry's paradise and very few get eaten, even if I wanted them to!

 

[Megalodon]

so they can get  a long fine in a school of all males?
 
how does one sex platies?
i know guppys,the males have a more decorative lengthy fin.

 

[ncguppy830]

males have a gono females dont
yea theyll get along fine